The cake base forms the base of many sweet and savory dishes, from apple pies to mince pies. As such, it is very important to master the art of making the perfect cake batter, for which the following tips should help.
Use only cold ingredients
No matter what type of cake you are making, cold ingredients are the key to making it as perfect as possible. In fact, professional chefs attest to the need for pie crust never to be heated above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. A little lower than that and you’ll end up with a soggy crust.
To achieve perfect results, you must remember these tips in relation to the handling of ingredients:
Fats – Whether it’s butter, lard, or shortening, always make sure they’re refrigerated before using. Fatty ingredients that are too hot get too sticky in the flour, resulting in a tough crust.
If you are using cold butter or margarine, cut it into small pieces or grate it on a cheese grater before adding it to the flour.
Liquids: always use frozen liquid ingredients, or at least refrigerated. You also want to add just the right amount of liquid to the flour – too little water makes a dry, crumbly dough, while two more make a stiff dough. Also, add the water gradually rather than pouring them all in at once.
Flour – Even flour needs to be cooled. You can use different types of flour depending on your goal: low protein wheat flour for tender pie crusts, all-purpose flour for a more general texture.
Use the right kind of equipment
You should only use a dull metal cake plate or glass cake plate to bake the cake batter. So it makes perfect sense to invest in good quality cake plates, especially when your family likes cakes, on special occasions or not.
You might be wondering why the dull metal. Well, the shiny metal plates somehow prevent the cake batter from browning evenly and properly. After all, a golden brown cake top is the best starter to any cake!
If you are using glass cake plates, you should lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees than the recommended recipe temperature. Also, you should never grease your cake plates.
Other general tips
The base of your cake will be perfect with these general tips for baking them.
If you are making a fruit tart, you can make sure the filling is firm by cutting deep cuts at the top. This is because moisture is released while baking, thus preventing a soggy, soft filling.
Cover the crust with aluminum foil or a pie plate to prevent it from browning more than it should. Or you can always lower the oven temperature.
There are many ways to prevent the cake base from getting soggy. You can first sprinkle it with a mixture of equal parts flour and sugar before adding the filling. Second, you can brush the unbaked bottom of the cake base with a piece of well-beaten egg white, again, before pouring in the filling.
And that ladies and gentlemen are the practical tips for making a perfect cake base.